In a Special Holiday Gift for TV One Viewers, Two-Time Oscar Winner and Recent Golden Globe Nominee Denzel Washington is Cathy Hughes' Guest on an All-New 'TV One on One,' Sunday, December 23 at 8 PM ET

In a Special Holiday Gift for TV One Viewers, Two-Time Oscar Winner and Recent Golden Globe Nominee Denzel Washington is Cathy Hughes' Guest on an All-New 'TV One on One,' Sunday, December 23 at 8 PM ET

- The Internationally Respected Actor/Director/Humanitarian Talks about His Newest Film "The Great Debaters" and Reveals the Philosophy He Lives By -

SILVER SPRING, Md., Dec. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- Two-time Academy Award winner and recent Golden Globe nominee Denzel Washington opens up about his red-hot career, his deeply held religious beliefs, his philosophy about today's children, his newest film, "The Great Debaters" and his commitment to making the world a better place in a revealing interview with host Cathy Hughes in a new episode of TV One on One premiering Sunday, December 23 from 8-9 PM ET.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20071218/NETU091 )

Washington's newest project, "The Great Debaters," opens around the country on Christmas Day. He stars as the real-life Professor Melvin Tolson who coached an underdog debate team at a small African American college in Texas all the way to a championship match with Harvard. Washington also directed the film, which has been nominated for a Golden Globe as Best Picture of 2007. Washington himself is a Golden Globe nominee for his performance as Frank Lucas in "American Gangster."

Washington believes "The Great Debaters" reinforces the fact that all young people need someone who will inspire and challenge them - something today's kids don't have. "I don't blame anything that children are doing now. We're the ones that dropped the ball. We're the ones that said, 'Oh, it's about me ... the Me Generation, and I'm going to go off and do what I want to do -- what's best for me.' We have dropped the ball, and they are the result."

After graduating from Fordham University, the Mt. Vernon, NY native went on to San Francisco's prestigious American Conservatory Theatre. He made his professional acting debut in the 1977 made-for-TV movie "Wilma," where he met his wife Pauletta Pearson. They married in 1983 and have four children: John David, Katia, and twins Olivia and Malcolm.

Washington's career ball started rolling with an inauspicious film debut in the 1981 movie "Carbon Copy." He then starred for six years as Dr. Phillip Chandler in the popular television hospital drama series, "St. Elsewhere."

Dozens of memorable film roles followed, including South African anti- apartheid activist Steve Biko in "Cry Freedom" (Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor); Pvt. Trip in "Glory" (Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor), the title role in "Malcolm X" (Academy Award nomination for Best Actor) Easy Rawlins in "Devil in a Blue Dress," Detective John Hobbes in "Fallen," the boxer Rubin Carter in "The Hurricane" (Academy Award nomination for Best Actor) and Detective Alonzo Harris in "Training Day" (Academy Award for Best Actor).

Still, even with success assured, Washington tells Hughes that he was questioning his chosen path. He decided to ask his pastor for his opinion. "'What do you think I'm supposed to be? A preacher?' He said, 'Well, I think that's what you're doing anyway, Denzel.' So, I don't know if I'm supposed to be a preacher, or a teacher, but I know with what I've been given, and I have been blessed with certain abilities, it's my responsibility to share what I've been blessed with, with others."

Washington's philosophy of sharing extends beyond his family, friends and film audiences. He is the national spokesperson for The Boys and Girls Clubs of America; he was a member when he was growing up in Mt. Vernon. "So, again, [the message is] what are you going to do with what you have? [In this society] we're strung out on negativity, and I'm determined to continue to accentuate the positive. There's a lot of good going on in the Boys' and Girls' Club, a lot of positive stories."

This special episode of TV One on One repeats on December 23 at 11 PM, Monday, Dec. 24 at 8 AM, Tuesday, Dec. 25 at 1 PM, Thursday, Dec. 27 at 10 AM, Friday, Dec. 28 at 2 PM, Saturday, Dec. 29 at 6 AM, Sunday, Dec. 30 at 2 PM, and Sunday, Jan. 13 at 11 PM (all times ET).

Launched in January 2004, TV One (www.tvoneonline.com) serves more than 42.2 million households (Nielsen Dec. 2007 estimate), offering a broad range of lifestyle and entertainment-oriented original programming, classic series, movies, fashion and music designed to entertain, inform and inspire a diverse audience of adult African American viewers. TV One's investors include Radio One [Nasdaq: ROIA and ROIAK; www.radio-one.com], the largest radio company that primarily targets African American and urban listeners; Comcast Corporation [Nasdaq: CMCSA and CMCSK; www.comcast.com], the leading cable television company in the country; The DirecTV Group; Constellation Ventures; Syndicated Communications; and Opportunity Capital Partners.

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Source: TV One

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Profile: International Entertainment